News & Features

Runner-up on the last four occasions she has ridden, Mary Wilkinson (Team Boompods) begins her bid for the 2022 National Hill-Climb Championship with a double header in South Yorkshire on Saturday.

Team Lifting Gear Products are hosting two short, sharp climbs, on the Pea Royd Lane course near Stocksbridge used for the 2018 title race on Saturday morning, and then on Mill Lee Road in Low Bradfield on Saturday afternoon.

While she is expected to cruise to victory in the morning’s event by almost a minute according to national ranking provider Spindata, she has more challengers in the afternoon with Emilie Verroken (Team Lifting Gear Products) and Nicola Soden (Datalynx Parenesis Cycling) also due to ride.

In the men’s event, reigning national champion Tom Bell (High North Performance) is tackling the Pea Royd Lane climb and is expected to take the win while Kieran Wynne-Cattanach (Team Lifting Gear Products) and Gregg Booker (Summat CC) will also be pushing for a podium finish along with Alex Raynard (Velo Bavarian) and Tom Garnett (Geared Up C and N Cycles).

With Bell choosing not to ride the afternoon’s event, Wynne-Cattanach, Booker and Garnett are listed as the top three on Spindata.

The reigning women’s national champion, Bithja Jones (Pankhurst Cycles) tackles the Blazing Saddles climb of Knight’s Hill near Charlton in East Sussex on Sunday.

Another former national champion, Andrew Feather (HuntBikeWheels.com) rides the Cheltenham &County CC climb of Bushcombe Lane near Bishop’s Cleve on Saturday, with other classy riders such as Ed Laverack (Backpedal) and Cameron Biddle (Bikestrong) are also down to compete.

Of the women riding the Cheltenham event, look out for the in-form Illi Gardner (Wahoo Endurance Zone) who is in great form so far this season.

Feather then goes on to ride the Exeter Wheelers Stoke Hill climb on Sunday.

Time trialling is very much still in full swing too, and this Sunday it’s the Welsh 50-Mile Championships near Abergavenny.

Top seed according to Spindata is Conrad Moss (Primera TeamJobs) who was third last season. He is aiming to add to the Welsh 50-Mile Championship titles he won in 2016, 2018 and 2019 before being relegated to third last season by Chris Gibbard, the Bynea CC rider who is expected to be around a minute and a half slower.

Meanwhile, Tim McEvoy (Fulfil the Potential Racing) is last man off, and of the women last year’s winner Claire Hann (Bristol South CC) will be aiming to hold off long distance specialist Christina Murray (Army Cycling) who was second in the National 12-Hour this season, as well as Emma O’Toole (Nopinz Motip).

In Hampshire Ollie Hucks (Saint Piran) is expected to be quickest in the Epsom CC 25-mile time trial with Claire Emons (a3crg) quickest of the women on paper, while on Saturday the East Anglian VTTA 25 in Cambridgeshire has attracted Chris Fennell (The Independent Pedaler-Nopinz) as well as James Jenkins (Richardsons Trek) and Ollie Peckover (Ribble Weldtite Pro Cycling).

trainSharp’s Sally Turner and Laura Davies (Jadan Vive le Velo) are among the fast females to ride the Cambourne course.

* All reports and previews are copyright of Cycling Time Trials/Snowdon Sports. Not to be used without permission.